Multiple Transplant recipient

I made a new friend last night and in talking to him, found out that he was a multiple organ transplant recipient, and that his new organs came from one guy, that died in an accident.Somehow, my friend was informed that his new organs all came from one guy and that the donor was a very physically healthy, gay man. Before my friend was told this, he was a married, straight man. after his new organs had been accepted and healed into his body, he had developed an overwhelming and powerful need to love men, not women. His wife was most upset and disturbed when he informed her of his new desires...and they divorced!.... He didn't know the history of his donated organs, until AFTER he was divorced and acting on his gay desires.

I guess I question if it is possible for multiple organs transplanted from a gay man to a straight man, are able to carry some part of the personality and characteristics of the original owner (donor) to the recipient? What do you think?

Sporty_g saidI guess I question if it is possible for multiple organs transplanted from a gay man to a straight man, are able to carry some part of the personality and characteristics of the original owner (donor) to the recipient? What do you think?

I've read a few reports that link the body's chemistry and consciousness to the organs, which means when you receive another person's organs, you also acquire many of their traits...including sexuality.

I don't know the validity of that, but this thread certainly adds another piece to the puzzle.

Sporty_g saidI guess I question if it is possible for multiple organs transplanted from a gay man to a straight man, are able to carry some part of the personality and characteristics of the original owner (donor) to the recipient? What do you think?

Body organs (besides possibly the brain) can not do that.

...not trying to be a dick, but you base this statement on what? (I tend to agree with you, but have nothing to base it on)

Sporty_g saidI guess I question if it is possible for multiple organs transplanted from a gay man to a straight man, are able to carry some part of the personality and characteristics of the original owner (donor) to the recipient? What do you think?

Body organs (besides possibly the brain) can not do that.

...not trying to be a dick, but you base this statement on what? (I tend to agree with you, but have nothing to base it on)

The frontal lobe is responsible for much of our behavior. However, the brain is not sectionalized to a fault, and many tasks are shared by multiple locations especially something as complex as emotions and socialization and personality. No other body parts, even the heart, have their own little thinking hub.

Furthermore, your organs and body can not act independently of your central nervous system which is comprised of spinal cord and the brain. The cranial nerves and the spinal nerves arising from these locations innervate your body. Some organs can respond well to nerves of another central nervous system of another body and sometimes become functional. This is why organ transplant is possible. Without this innervation, your body organs are just sacs filled with tissue/fluid.

This is why organs from a different sex will also work, but some like the kidneys have been known to give higher failure rates. As Import said, the person probably just gained a new appreciation for life.

As q said, it is not possible to have brain or spinal cord transplantation yet, but stem cells are making progress here.

carminea saidFurthermore, your organs and body can not act independently of your central nervous system which is comprised of spinal cord and the brain. The cranial nerves and the spinal nerves arising from these locations innervate your body. Some organs can respond well to nerves of another central nervous system of another body and become functional. This is why organ transplant is possible. Without this innervation, your body organs are just sacs filled with tissue/fluid.

It's not at all clear that reiinervation is consistent after all transplants. I found some old Russian dog experiments with kidneys that suggested that it's possible, but most transplant nephrologists act clinically as if the kidneys are not innervated. In fact, renal denervation of native kidneys is a technique to lower blood pressure in refractory cases.

Transplanted hearts don't react to atropine (loss of parasympathetic vagal stimulation) but some experiments suggest that some hearts might reiinervate sympathetically. The hearts that don't reiinervate probably react to circulating catecholamines from other organs.http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa010519